Vikings, Knights set for big game

Tuesday

May 23, 2006 at 12:01 AM

By BRUCE WEHRLE The Dispatch

North Davidson coach Mike Lambros is bouncing off the walls.

Central Cabarrus coach Monte Sherrill is playing this one close to the vest.

Clearly, there are two different approaches to what is shaping up to be one of the most important fast-pitch softball games ever played in Davidson County when the Vikings visit North today for the second round of the state 4-A playoffs.

Game time is 7 p.m. Fans are advised to arrive early since an overflow crowd is expected to be on hand.

Why? Why so much interest?

Central Cabarrus, 27-0, comes into the game as the two-time defending 4-A state champion riding an 83-game winning streak. The Vikings, in fact, are ranked as the No. 1 prep softball team in the country, according to a USA Today poll.

"This is the biggest game in the history of our program," said Lambros, now in his 26th year with the Knights, with 558 career victories along the way. "We've played for the state title twice, and those games were big.

"But we've never had a No. 1 team in the nation come to Davidson County," said Lambros, whose team is 24-2. "Central Cabarrus is just a great team. They've set the bar pretty high for the rest of us."

Sherrill is taking a different tack, almost downplaying the game.

"We're preparing for this one just like we did for the other 27," Sherrill said. "We're taking it one game at a time."

What adds a little spice to all of this is that Lambros and Sherrill are close friends.

"The hard thing about this is that we'll be playing against one of my best friends," Lambros said. "He's like a brother to me. We've gone to clinics in Arizona together, we talk on the phone two or three times a week, and we've known each other a long time."

And this leads to something else: "I think the state association (North Carolina High School Athletic Association) could have done a better job setting us up," Lambros said. "It's tough for these two teams to meet in the second round. It's a one-strike deal, a roll of the dice.

"Sometimes the best teams don't get to Raleigh (for the state championship)."

The game figures to be a showcase for two of the better pitchers in the state. The Vikings lean on senior Gina Allen, who has signed to play for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is a two-time state championship MVP award recipient. Allen bested West Forsyth's Mendy McKenzie 1-0 for the state title last year in a 19-inning classic that lasted more than four hours. Allen struck out 36 batters, and McKenzie whiffed 37.

Viking center fielder Destiny Covington has already signed to play for Virginia Tech while second baseman Amanda Barrs is headed to Samford University.

North's Danielle Glosson has hurled three straight no-hitters, including last Thursday's perfect-game 7-0 victory over Morganton Freedom in the first round. Glosson, a junior, has committed to play for Southern Illinois University, a top-25 program.

Lambros said he has been preparing and hopes to exploit some perceived weakness the Vikings might have.

"But I'm not going to tell the newspaper what it is," Lambros laughed. "This is going to be a chess match. Everything up to this point has been checkers.

"But I will tell you that they pitch well, they hit the ball extremely well - they can hit the long ball - and they play very good defense. It's kind of like looking at yourself in the mirror."

Sherrill and members of his staff have scouted North the past five games. Obviously, Sherrill knows what his team is facing in Glosson.

"She pitched against Freedom just the way I expected of her," Sherrill said. "She's a good pitcher."

Lambros, of course, is excited about nearly everything about this game, including the fact that it could attract upward of 1,000 spectators.

"This is what we've been thinking about since Day One," Lambros said. "The girls have been great in practice. And we've spent time thinking about what we're going to do.

"It should be a lot of fun."

Bruce Wehrle can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 218, or bruce.wehrle@the-dispatch.com.

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